Meek Mill, Otherside of America | Track Review 🎵

On “Otherside of America,” rapper Meek Mill delivers a socially conscious, protest banger that truly captures racial inequality.

“Ive been tryna run from these caskets / All this pain built in me, nigga / You don’t want none of this action / Go get some money and feed your fam / ‘Cause this is a fuckin’ disaster, yeah.” Woo! Perhaps one doesn’t often associate Meek Mill with socially conscious music.  Maybe, just maybe we should acknowledge this side of the Grammy-nominated rapper more. He’s released qualifying gems including “Young Black American” and “Oodles O’ Noodles Babies”, and now, he adds “Otherside of America” to the mix.  Safe to say, he’s on autopilot – he goes TF in.

“Otherside of America” commences with a sample from an infamous Donald Trump speech, which is chocked-full of negativity, fear tactics, and utter insensitivity toward blacks. “58% of your youth is unemployed,” Trump asserts in the sample, continuing, “What the hell do you have to lose?” From there, Meek Mill dos the damn thing, over banging SHROOM and Butter Beats production. Set in a minor key, the beat is crazy and the orchestral cues add dramatic flair and intensity (strings, bar chimes).  Even if SHROOM and Butter Beats hadn’t come through, I have a feeling Meek’s spark was already ignited by the incredible unrest that has come to head in 2020.

Meek Mill uses the first verse to share his life story – an arduous, dangerous childhood, and eventually experiencing his come up through rap.  Similarly, on the second verse, he reflects on rough-and-tumble times, including the trouble he’s faced, while also acknowledging his success story: “Started off in the basement / Now it’s rooftops and LeBron there / Still fightin’ open cases / Out on bail, nigga, but it’s my year…”  Of course, it’s the chorus that paints quite a portrait of the experience some blacks face that are far too often taken for granted, and that those who have privilege never face nor understand:

“...Mama at work, daddy, he dead, nigga we lonely
Stomach growlin’ like a AMG, goin’ to bed, we hungry
Uzi on me, all my friends are dead, nigga, we lonely
Reportin’ live from the other side of America.”

Mill also closes with a bang, sharing an excerpt from his CNN interview as he discusses growing up in “ruthless environments.” Meek tells Michael Smercornish, “You see seven people die a week, though you would probably carry a gun yourself, would you?” Smercornish responds, “Uh, yeah, I probably would.”

Final Thoughts

So much more could be written about this three-and-a-half-minute-plus gem.  Meek Mill absolutely slaughters, painting and excellent, unsettling portrait of “the other side of America.” No, it’s not a song some people might want to hear or even acknowledge, but it’s a song that everyone should hear.

Meek Mill • “Otherside of America” • Atlantic • Release: 6.5.20

Photo Credit: Atlantic